Efforts to resolve allegations that hip-hop producer Metro Boomin raped a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel nine years ago have broken down, setting the stage for a trial to begin next month.
A new court filing signed by lawyers on both sides and obtained by Rolling Stone says a mediation held with a judge on July 18 was unsuccessful. “The parties mediated in good faith. However, the litigation did not resolve,” a joint status report filed Monday in federal court in Los Angeles reads. “After the mediation, the parties have continued limited settlement discussions, which have proven unsuccessful,” it states.
Metro Boomin, whose real name is Leland Wayne, is now set to begin trial in the case on Sept. 23. The plaintiff, Vanessa LeMaistre, filed her lawsuit last October, alleging the Grammy-nominated producer sexually assaulted her after they became friends and he invited her on multiple occasions to spend time in his studio, listening to music and processing her grief over the recent death of her 9-month-old son.
LeMaistre claims she took half a Xanax the night of the alleged attack and was handed a shot of alcohol at the studio. After she fell asleep on a couch, she woke up on a bed in a different location with Wayne allegedly raping her, the lawsuit claims. She claims Wayne later told her they were at a hotel in Beverly Hills. She says a chauffeur-driven SUV took her back to the studio, where her car was waiting.
“At no point during this encounter was Ms. LeMaistre able to consent to any sexual activity, and Wayne’s conduct without question constituted rape and sexual assault,” the lawsuit alleges. LeMaistre says she later learned she was pregnant and terminated the pregnancy.
According to the lawsuit, Wayne produced the song “Rap Saved Me” in 2017 with lyrics that paralleled what happened. “She took a Xanny, then she fainted. I’m from the gutter, ain’t no changing. From the gutter, rap saved me. She drive me crazy, have my baby,” the lyrics listed in the lawsuit read.
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LeMaistre’s lawyer, Michael J. Willemin, tells Rolling Stone that his client is eager to get the case in front of a jury. “When we first filed this case, Mr. Wayne’s lawyers predictably claimed that the allegations were false and that he would ‘defend himself in court.’ Since then, as outlined in our recent motion, Mr. Wayne has failed to comply with basic discovery obligations and court orders in an apparent effort to avoid accountability for his actions. Meanwhile, we and Ms. LeMaistre have pushed the case forward aggressively, and, because of that, we are headed towards trial on September 23, 2025. We look forward to holding Mr. Wayne accountable in front of a jury of his peers,” Willemin says.
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Wayne’s lawyers did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. His attorney Lawrence Hinkle II, previously called the lawsuit “a pure shakedown,” in a comment to TMZ. “These are false accusations,” Hinkle said last year. “Mr. Wayne refused to pay her months ago, and he refuses to pay her now. Mr. Wayne will defend himself in court. He will file a claim for malicious prosecution once he prevails.”
With the trial looming, Wayne is also promoting the new mixtape he released earlier this month. Titled Futuristic Summa, the sprawling double album includes guest appearances from Future, Young Thug, 21 Savage, Quavo, Lil Baby, T.I., Gucci Mane, and up-and-coming artist Breskii, among others.
